Shakyamuni Buddha Statue – Buddhist Figure with Filigree

Shakyamuni is the historical Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama, who lived in northern India in the 5th century BCE and founded the Buddhist teaching.

The statue shows Shakyamuni Buddha seated in lotus asana on a lotus pedestal. His right hand touches the earth in bhumisparsha mudra, while the left hand holds an alms bowl. Behind the figure rises a drop-shaped Aureole framing the head of the Buddha. 

The robe, lotus pedestal, and Aureole are decorated with filigree. Spirals formed from fine metal wires, filled with small arched elements, combine into a continuous pattern. Turquoise, coral, and lapis lazuli are set into the filigree surfaces. The decoration is executed all around; the back of the figure is worked, allowing the statue to be presented as a free-standing object. 

The statue follows the image traditions of Vajrayana art in the Kathmandu Valley, in which ritual identity, gesture, and ornament are brought together into a carefully balanced iconographic unity.

Shakyamuni Buddha 

Copper statue, lost-wax cast, decorated with filigree, gold- and silver-plated, set with turquoise, coral and lapis lazuli. The figure is patinated. The face is set in gold. Handcrafted in Nepal.

• Height: 6.8" / 17.5 cm
• Width: 3.9" / 10 cm
• Depth: 3.3" / 8.5 cm
• Weight: 628 g

NOTE
The face painting is a cold gold application and is water-soluble.